Famous Misquotes

 

Where Does The Phrase "Nice Guys Finish Last" Come From? | Mental Floss

“Nice guys finish last” is a well-known saying that men tend to use when they are unsuccessful in something they want to accomplish as a result of being decent and kind and being beaten by someone who is the opposite. However, the actual quote is, “Take a look at them. They’re all nice guys, but they’ll finish last.” The quote is by Leo Durocher, the former Brooklyn Dodgers manager, before a game against the New York Giants. He was being interviewed by Frank Graham who never took quotes and was known to have a photographic memory. Graham ended up inaccurately reporting the quote, but it was never disputed by Durocher, according to a website called phrases.org. Durocher was simply talking about a rival team, but when Graham simplified his quote, it took a new meaning that was generalized and could relate to much of the public.

 

50 Famous Misquotations (and What Was Really Said) | Mental Floss

Another common misquote is, “the ends justify the means.” Which is very different from the actual quote, "one must consider the final result,” said by Nicolo Machiavelli. The misquote seems more immoral than the original. It makes it seem like you can do whatever sinful acts you need to in order to get what you want. However, the original simply tells you to consider the final result when taking action. According to an article by factmyth.com, Machiavelli never actually say “the ends justify the means,” it was simply a broad summary made by the readers of his complex work titled Prince.

 

Houston, we have a problem - Wikipedia

A well-known misquote is “Houston, we have a problem.” The quote was actually, “OK Houston; we’ve had a problem here.” According to an article on allthatsinteresting.com, this was said during Apollo 13’s space expedition in 1970 after an explosion occurred on the flight. The quote ended up being wrongfully worded and even misattributed to Commander Jim Lovell as a result of time and Tom Hanks in the movie Apollo 13. The quote was actually said by John Swigert. The misworded quote doesn’t really change the meaning in a major way. However, it is very important to have accurate quotes in journalistic works.

 

31 Famous Quotations You’ve Been Getting Wrong | Thought Catalog

Yet another very common misquote is, “curiosity killed the cat.” The full quote is actually, “curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.” The second part of this phrase is actually very important to the meaning. Without it, the phrase changes completely. The phrase, “curiosity killed the cat,” alone, is telling the receiver not to ask questions and be curious about things. However, the second part, “but satisfaction brought it back,” actually changes the meaning to the complete opposite, saying they should be curious and ask questions. According to an article on Wikipedia, the phrase first started to get misquoted in an article by The Galveston Daily News in 1905, when they used the quote without the word satisfaction.

 

50 Famous Misquotations (and What Was Really Said) | Mental Floss

Lastly, a super famous quote by Gandhi is, “be the change you want to see in the world.” However, Gandhi never actually said that. According to The New York Times, he actually said, “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. …We need not wait to see what others do.” The meaning of the two phrases isn’t too different. The shorter phrase just simplified what he said. However, it is super important to accurately quote your sources. Journalists cannot simply put words in people’s mouths.